What is differentiated instruction? Why differentiate? We will investigate these questions. Generally we pre-assess our students, either formally or informally to determine a students “readiness to learn” a concept or skill. Through the process of assessing we will determine appropriate “starting points” for our students.
Consider the following scenario:
You are planning on beginning a course of study that will focus on the process of adding and subtracting fractions with both like and unlike denominators. In addition, you would like your students to represent the product of the mathematical operation using the lowest common denominator. You assess your students and find that 25 percent of your students can successfully complete and explain the process of adding and subtracting like and unlike fractions and simplify the product, 50 percent of your students can successfully add and subtract like fractions and simplify their answer, and 25 percent of your students cannot add or subtract fractions (like or unlike).
What do you do? Do you teach the same content to all students even through you see that there are three distinct levels of student mastery of this skill? Let’s investigate the process of differentiation and how it will help you to meet the needs of all learners!
Guidelines That Make Differentiation Possible for Teachers to Attain
Clarify key concepts and generalizations. Ensure that all learners gain powerful understandings that can serve as the foundation for future learning. Teachers are encouraged to identify essential concepts and instructional foci to ensure that all learners comprehend.
Use assessment as a teaching tool to extend rather than merely measure instruction. Assessment should occur before, during, and following the instructional episode, and it should be used to help pose questions regarding student needs and optimal learning.
Emphasize critical and creative thinking as a goal in lesson design. The tasks, activities, and procedures for students should require that they understand and apply meaning. Instruction may require supports, additional motivation, varied tasks, materials, or equipment for different students in the classroom.
Engaging all learners is essential. Teachers are encouraged to strive for the development of lessons that are engaging and motivating for a diverse class of students. Vary tasks within instruction as well as across students. In other words, an entire session for students should not consist of all drill and practice, or any single structure or activity.
Provide a balance between teacher-assigned and student-selected tasks. A balanced working structure is optimal in a differentiated classroom. Based on pre-assessment information, the balance will vary from class-to-class as well as lesson-to-lesson. Teachers should ensure that students have choices in their learning.
Differentiated Instruction
What is differentiated instruction? Why differentiate? We will investigate these questions. Generally we pre-assess our students, either formally or informally to determine a students “readiness to learn” a concept or skill. Through the process of assessing we will determine appropriate “starting points” for our students.Consider the following scenario:
You are planning on beginning a course of study that will focus on the process of adding and subtracting fractions with both like and unlike denominators. In addition, you would like your students to represent the product of the mathematical operation using the lowest common denominator. You assess your students and find that 25 percent of your students can successfully complete and explain the process of adding and subtracting like and unlike fractions and simplify the product, 50 percent of your students can successfully add and subtract like fractions and simplify their answer, and 25 percent of your students cannot add or subtract fractions (like or unlike).
What do you do? Do you teach the same content to all students even through you see that there are three distinct levels of student mastery of this skill? Let’s investigate the process of differentiation and how it will help you to meet the needs of all learners!
Guidelines That Make Differentiation Possible for Teachers to Attain
National Center on Accessible Instructional Resources: http://aim.cast.org/learn/historyarchive/backgroundpapers/differentiated_instruction_udl
Staff Development for Teachers: http://differentiatedinstruction.com/